Saturday, October 12, 2013

My Galaxy

I love the post over at Grognardia about a "Sci Fi Goulash." The poster compares the success of fantasy RPGs vs. scf fi RPGS and theorizes that the "kitchen sink" setting of D&D contributed to its popularity. Conversely, very few sci fi RPGs adopted an approach

where the United Federation of Planets, whose Navy is Roddenberry's Starfleet and whose Army is Heinlein's Mobile Infantry, squares off against a Galactic-Empire-meets-the-Third-Reich, in a galaxy inhabited by Vulcans, Kzinti, Lensmen/Jedi, Bugs, and just about any other sci-fi species/culture imagined.

This concept has inspired my galaxy.

Since I created this map, I have renamed the "Republic" as the "Federation." The main heroes of my galaxy are the Space Templars, an order of knights inspired by the Jedi. The Empire is likewise influenced by Star Wars. The Dominion is ruled by a race of cyborgs, much like Star Trek's Borg. The Infestation refers to the conquests of a race of insectoid creatures (a la Starship Troopers). Finally, the Conclave is an area of space settled by a race of super intelligent humanoids who hold logic in the highest esteem. Quite the goulash here. And because I have not mapped the galaxy out in detail, I have plenty of room to insert new ideas.The Federation once united the entire galaxy until corrupt politicians, greedy merchants, and fallen Templars conspired to seize control. They managed to establish an empire, but some of the Federation worlds remained free, leading to a series of wars between Federation and Empire. Later, the Dominion and the Conclave broke off (although the Conclave remains friendly with the Federation). Finally, the "bugs" invaded, seizing sectors from the Dominion and the Empire. Into this chaos, my heroes will struggle to preserve order, freedom, and goodness.